Young men and women who have first-hand experience of foster care are an under-utilized resource in our efforts to understand and improve a system that has more than 500,000 children in its care. What can recent graduates of “the system” teach us about how to make it better? On May 24th in recognition of Foster Care Month, Connect for Kids hosted a Talktime Live! online chat with Foster Club alums Theresa Moy and Schylar Canfield.

For kids – both those directly and indirectly affected by the storm – there is still much coping left to do and a lot of support still needed. How can adults help children through this stressful time? For the latest ConnectforKids.org free online chat on September 21 at 1 p.m. ET, we’re connecting our audience with two experts who will answer questions on a variety of coping and support strategies for children, youth and families.

Young people in the foster care system will discuss their concerns, challenges and aspirations – and answer questions.

At this moment, there are over 500,000 children and youth in foster care. While most will be reunified with their families in a short period of time, many will spend months, or even years in foster care. Whether their time in care is long or short, each of these vulnerable children needs a safe, caring foster family home to ensure their well-being and positive development while they are in foster care.